How Important Is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe?

We can easily sit here and talk about all the awesome new characters, modes (BATTLE MODE!!!) and features, but I’m here to talk about something much bigger. MK8D is much more than just a port to the Switch, this is one of the first games that will really put the Switch’s local and online multiplayer to the test.

As per usual, 4 players will be able to play on TV mode, but that’s not where the Switch will shine. I’m sure we’ve all seen the trailers and videos showing us the Switch’s “Tabletop mode”, which allows you to pop out the kick stand and play. More importantly, you can give one of your joy-cons to a friend (or a random person) and play together. Though the screen is pretty small for such a feature, it’s still cool nonetheless and should make for some awesome, time killing fun.

The two things that I’m looking forward to the most are:
1) Up to 8 Switch consoles can be connected for local multiplayer action. This is huge for gaming in general, making tournaments and leagues a lot more accessible to gamers. Not to mention, the epic friend hangouts that will spawn from this.
2) Up to 12 players can go at it via online multiplayer. Allowing you to race/battle people around the world.

So, MK8D isn’t necessarily a ground breaking game as far as showing off the graphical and power capabilities of the Switch, but rather a testament to how well it will allow players to connect, both locally and online. In the gaming world, online multiplayer is a huge component, and Nintendo must be ready to duke it out with PS4 and XBox One if they want to see the Switch (and any future consoles) maintain any kind of legitimate success. Making both online and local multiplayer easy and accessible to everyone is key, and MK8D will definitely show if Nintendo is up to the task.